McDonald’s worker’s act of kindness to disabled man reduces onlooker to tears

Cashier helped a man believed to have quadripleigia to eat his meal Owner of the Chicago branch said the incident was 'true testament to who Kenny is'

The chain was said to be 'overwhelmed by the positive response' (Getty )

A compassionate fast-food employee reduced onlookers to tears when he left his till, washed his hands and sat down to help a disabled customer eat his meal.

The cashier at McDonald's in central Chicago, identified only as Kenny, was asked by an elderly man in a wheelchair to "help me please".

Bystander Destiny Careeno posted a picture on Facebook of Kenny as he helped the man, alongside her own account of events – in a post shared more than 280,000 times.

She said she believed the disabled man had quadripleigia, which involves partial or total loss of limb use.

"The man politely tried to ask the cashier something and it took him a few tries before either of us could understand he was saying ‘help me please’,” she wrote.

"Neither of us knew what help he needed, and the cashier suggested a few things before he figured out the gentleman needed help cutting and eating his meal."

Seeing this today brought tears to my eyes! Compassion has NOT gone out of style.Today I made a quick stop at McDonald...

Posted by Destiny Carreno on Wednesday, 16 September 2015

Ms Careeno admits she wasn't sure whether the cashier would help, as the fast-food restaurant was busy and the cashier disappeared from view – before his intentions became clear.

"Not to get away from helping him, but to wash his hands and put gloves on!" she wrote.

"The cashier came out from the kitchen, sat down, and began cutting the man's meal and helped him eat. At that point, the tears started to gather in my eyes."

She was particularly moved as her uncle suffers from the same condition, she explained.

The owner of the particular McDonald's in Chicago, Rod Lubeznik, said in a statement that the team were proud of their employee.

According to NBC Chicago, Mr Lubeznik said the chain was "overwhelmed by the positive response [Kenny] has received for his compassion and kindness."

“It’s a true testament to who Kenny is, and a reminder to us all that one seemingly small act of kindness can touch the hearts of so many,” the statement read.

The restaurant planned to recognise Kenny during a rewards presentation on Wednesday, NBC Chicago reported.

In the past, however, the restaurant chain has been criticised for low pay and poor conditions for staff.

The Guardian reported in May this year that McDonald's banned media from attending its shareholder meeting after staff said they were planning a protest against "poverty wages."